Man planned to cut his mother’s throat

A 21-year-old man who threatened to burn down his mother’s house told a doctor that he had plans to kill her by cutting her throat, Craigavon Magistrates Court heard last Wednesday.

Stewart Colin Alexander Agnew, no fixed abode, at a previous court had admitted that on March 9 he had made a threat to a female to destroy her property and a second charge of making to a doctor a threat to kill the female.

Sentencing had been deferred in the case.

Outlining the background last Wednesday a public prosecutor said that around 8.30pm police received a report of a burglary taking place at a house at Orient Circle in Lurgan.

Agnew was found at the side of the house which belonged to his mother.

He told police: “I’ll break every f--king window in this house.” He also said: “I’ll burn the f—king house down.”

Agnew was assessed by a doctor and stated he had very definite plans to harm his mother.

It was alleged he had plans to end her life and planned to use a knife to fatally cut her throat.

Sentencing in the case had been deferred since April 10 with conditions that there was no further offending, Agnew should register with his GP and seek medical help.

A barrister representing the defendant said he got involved in other offences.

He added that Agnew would apologise for letting the court down. He was someone who can appear so calm but once intoxicated behaved in a completely different manner.

The lawyer said he had been given chances with community service and suspended sentences and it was all to no avail. When he consumed alcohol he didn’t consider all his options.

He added that Agnew was ‘going round and round in circles’ and was now on anti-psychotic medication.

District Judge, Mr Mervyn Bates, said the court had bent over backwards and that Agnew had not kept to the conditions of the deferral.

The judge added that his duty to protect the public now took over.

For each offence he sentenced Agnew to six months in prison, the sentences to run concurrently. He was ordered to pay a £25 offender’s levy.